Assembly and validation of the SSD silicon microstrip detector of ALICE

The Silicon Strip Detector (SSD) forms the two outermost layers of the Inner Tracking System (ITS) of ALICE. The SSD detector consists of 1698 double-sided silicon microstrip modules. The electrical connection between silicon sensor and front-end electronics is made via TAB-bonded aluminium–polyimide cables (chip-cables). The module assembly is challenging because of the module geometry and the use of chip-cables. This article describes the assembly procedure and the test protocol used.